Carriage side clearance adjuster



May 25, 1954 R. J. PUSZTAY CARRIAGE SIDE CLEARANCE ADJUSTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 18, 1951 INVENTOR.

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Patented May 25, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,679,437 CARRIAGE SIDE CLEARANCE ADJUSTER Russell J. Pusztay,

Chicago, Ill., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Delaware Application August 18, 1951, Serial No. 242,511

eliminated.

In the past excessive side clearance has been compensated for by measuring the clearance with feeler gauges and then making shims of the necessary thickness and fastening these shims, as by tack welding, to the roller supports after the roller supports have been removed from the truck. The rollers and roller supports are then re-installed on the carriage and if the measurements were correct and the shims accurately made the side clearance is reduced to the proper amount. It will take a half day or more for a skilled mainman to mak this service adjustment. My novel side clearance adjuster meets all of the necessary requirements and overcomes difiiculties heretofore experienced.

An object of my invention is to provide a new and improved carriage side clearance adjuster that can take up side clearance without disassembling any of the parts associated with the carriage mount.

Another object is to provide a novel side clearance adjuster that is made up small number of inexpensive parts.

Another object is to provide a new and improved carriage side clearance adjuster that may be inof the fork carriage to give complete and convenient control over the side clearance.

Another object is to provide a simple carriage side clearance adjuster that permits easy adjustment of the side clearance by manipulating readily accessible screws.

A further object is to provide a novel carriage side clearance adjuster that reduces the time required for service adjustments of side clearance to a very few minutes.

A still further object is to provide a novel carriage side clearance adjuster that will eliminate the necessity of holding production tolerances exceedingly close on th mating parts when the carriage, roller support frame, rollers, and various other parts associated with the mechanism for mounting the carriage on the vertical channels are produced, since an accurate final adjustof but a carriage ment may be made in a matter of minutes after the parts are assembled.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a fork lift truck with the piston and. cylinder broken away to expose the carriage support member and the screws for adjusting side clearance between the carriage and the upright channels;

Fig. 2 is a detail view, partly in section, looking into the open side of the left-hand upright channels of Fig. 1 with a part of the carriage support member broken away to expose the rollers and the side roller frame;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 showing particularly the arrangement of the adjusting screws and set screws with respect to the carriage support member and the spacer blocks; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2 showing to advantage the location of a side roller and the side plates within the upright channels.

In Fig. 1 I have shown a conventional fork lift truck on which my invention may be used. The forks ID are mounted on a rod l2 supported in a carriage framework l4. A carriage support memher I S is secured to the carirage framework I4, as by welding, and serves to provide a mount for the rollers, as will be hereinafter described. The rollers ride within an inner upright channel l8 which slides within the outer upright channel 20. A hydraulic cylinder 22, shown broken away to expose the carriage support member, operates to raise and lower the carriage framework and forks.

In Figs. 2, 3 and 4 I have shown in detail my novel carriage side clearance adjuster which is the subject matter of the instant application. Attention is invited to these figures for a full understanding of the novel concepts on which my invention is based.

Figs. 2 and 3 show the support member I B welded, as indicated by beads 24, to cross-members 26 and 28 of the carriage framework M. The

support member [6 extends rearwardly adjacent the open sides of the channels I8 and 20 and has secured thereto rollers 30 and 32, which roll within the inner channel I8 against the inner faces of the flanges to hold the carriage framework parallel at all times to the channels and yet permit movement of the carriage with respect to the channels. The rollers 30 and 32 may be secured to the support member in any suitable manner, and I have shown for the sake of illustration machine screws 34 for this purpose. Wear washers 36 are inserted between the rollers 30 and 32 and the support member [6.

Side rollers 38 and 40 are located intermediate the rollers 30 and 32 and are supported on a side roller frame,; generally 'designatedfiAZ. The side roller frame comprises-two side plates- M and spacer blocks 46 and 48 which are secured between the side plates as by welding. particularly well in Fig. 2, theside. rollers .38. and 40 are held between the side plates M by shafts 50 which are placed in aligned: holes in the side plates and secured therein by cotter.l eys;52. Bushings 56 between the side rollers 38': and -M! and the shafts reduce wear between. the side rollers and the shafts.

As seen in Fig. 3, the spacer blocks dd-an'dalfi have tapped holes 56 formed therein which receive machine screwstt. These. screws -58-will be referred to hereinafter aslooking screws. The lockingscrews; pass through 'unthreaded bores 60 in1the support members positioned between their heads and the support member. Adjustingscrewsfifi are threaded-into tapped holes 56 in thegsupport member 16 in position tobear against the spacer blocks-A6 and 48. Asgseen in Figs..'3 and-4; the side rollers 38 and Mlbearagainst theinner face of the web ,of chantool 113" when =the;side-roller frame 42 isin the position shown.

"Theforegoing description has been directedto theoarriage mounting means associated with the left-hand: upright channels of Fig'l. It should be understood that .a *carriagennounting; means similar to that disclosed-:abovecould .be mounted between :the carriage-and. the right-hand upright channels of Fig. 1. While I prefer side; of the carriage withmynevel carriage side clearance adjuster, this is not necessary. A single side clearance adjuster on either side ofzthe-carriage is sufficient and the other: side ofthex-carriage'may be provided with any conventional. or suitable roller type mounting means.

In taking up side clearance between vthe'carriage andthe upright channeljB itlis simply necessary to thread-the locking. screws-58'outiof spacer blocksi lfi and' iii ashort distance and then positionadjusting screwstdzto provide proper clearance between the side rollers and the inner face ofthe web of channel 18. The locking screws Edarethen retightened to lock the side roller frame in position. If the the inner upright channels; the side increased by slightly loosening adjusting screws B l, and then threading locking screws'ES into the spacer blocks until theroller frame is locked in a new position by the locking and adjusting screws. It is evident from, the foregoing: how simple my novel carriage sideclearance-adjustermakes a service adjustment. From Fig. 1 it should be equally evident that the looking screwstfi and adjusting screws '54 are readily accessible without removing any parts from the carriage suppcrtsmechanism.

From the foregoingdescription it-should be appreciated that I have provided a new and novel carriage side clearance adjuster that is entirely different from anything heretofore used on fork trucks to provide controlover side clearance between the' carriage and the upright channels. My invention overcomes practicallyall of. the problems heretofore encountered due to excessive side jam between clearance may be l6- and have washers-62 toprovideeach' 'si-de clearance is re-' duced to-the pointthat theside rollers tend to .1 riage supporting rmeans along clearance, from the initial stages of production when the parts are being made to service adjustments made on the fork truck after it is in operation.

While I have illustrated and described only a single form of my invention, it is to be understood that my invention is not limited to the detailsshownan'ddescribed; but includes all modifications-variations; and equivalents coming within the scope of the following claims.

".I claim:

1. .Inacarriage side clearance adjuster for controlling clearance between a carriage and a carwhich said carriage moves, a roller supporting frame, a roller i rotatably mounted on said frame and adapted to engage. saidcarriage. supporting means, an adjusting screw threaded through a part of the carriage and bearing against said frame, said frame being moved relative to. said carriage when said adjusting screw is :rotated, and a lockingsscrew passing through a part of said carriage and threaded into said frame, said frame being locked against movement-relative to said carriage when said locking-screw is tightened to hold said frame against said adjusting screw.

2. A carriage side clearance adjuster for controlling the side clearance betweenfthe carriage and the uprightchannels of a'fork truck, said carriage having a-portion extending adjacent the open side of one of said channels, a rollersupporting framein saidone channeLrollers-rotatably mounted on said'framesaid rollers being adapted to bear against the webof' said one-channel, and screws connecting said frame'and said portion of said carriage to-move said frame-between said one. channel and said-portion of said carriage to thereby adjust the clearance between said rollers and said one channel.

:3. A carriage side clearance adjuster for-controlling the side clearance between the carriage and the upright channels-of a fork truck, said carriage having a portion'thereofextending adjacent the open side of one of said channels, a roller supporting frame insaid one channel, rollers rotatably mounted on said frame, an-adjusting screw threaded throughsaid portion of said 'carriage and abutting said'frame,-and locking screws passing through said portion of said carriage and threaded into said frame, said frame and rollers being moved within said one channel between said one channel and said portion of said carriage in response to rotation'of said. screws to adjust the. spacing between said rollers and said one channel.

A. Acarriage side. clearanceadjuster for controlling the side. clearance between the carriage and the upright channels of a fork truck, said carriage having a portion thereof extending adjacent the open side ,of one :of said channels,-;a roller supporting frameinzsaid. one channel, rollers rotatably mounted on said frameyanadjusting screw threaded through-said portionxof said carriage and abutting said frame, locking-screws passing through said portion of said carriage and threaded into said frame, said frame and rollers being moved within said one channel between said one channel and said portion of said carriage in response to rotation of said screws to adjust the spacing between said rollers and said one channeLand second rollers secured to said portion ofsaid carriage, and. disposed within-said one channel at a spaced, points to. roll against the flanges of 4 said .one channel-rand maintain -said carriage in parallel relationship with said channels.

5. A carriage side clearance adjuster for controlling the side clearance between the carriage and the upright channels of a fork truck, said carriage having a portion thereof extending adjacent the open side of one of said channels, a roller supporting frame in said one channel, rollers rotatably mounted on said frame, an adjusting screw threaded through said portion of said carriage and abutting said frame, locking screws passing through said portion of said carriage and threaded into said frame, said frame and rollers being moved within said one channel between said one channel and said portion of said carriage in response to rotation of said screws to adjust the spacing between said rollers and said one channel, second rollers secured to said portion of said carriage and disposed within said one channel at spaced points to roll against the flanges of said one channel and maintain said carriage in parallel relationship with said channels, and roller means mounted on another portion of said carriage and disposed within a second channel to permit movement of said carriage along said second channel, the clearance between said roller means and said second channel and the clearance between said rollers and said one channel being controlled by said screws.

6. In a fork truck having a carriage mounted by rollers on upright channels for movement therealong, a side clearance adjuster comprising a roller supporting frame, side rollers rotatably mounted on said frame, adjusting screws abutting said frame and threaded through a portion of said carriage, said adjusting screws providing for movement of said frame toward or away from said portion of said carriage when said adjusting screws are rotated, and locking screws passing through the carriage and threaded into said frame to lock said frame in position after said adjusting screws are in the desired position.

7. A carriage side clearance adjuster for controlling the side clearance between the carriage and the upright channels of a fork truck, said carriage having a portion extending adjacent the open side of one of said channels, a pair of side plates disposed within said one channel, spacer blocks secured between said side plates, shafts extending between said side plates, side rollers rotatably mounted on said shafts, said side rollers being adapted to roll against the web of said one channel, adjusting screws threaded through said portion of said carriage and abutting said spacer blocks, and locking screws passing through said portion of said carriage and threaded into said spacer blocks, said rollers being moved between said web of said one channel and said portion of said carriage to vary the distance between said rollers and said web when said adjusting screw are rotated, and said rollers being secured in posit-ion between said web and said portion of said carriage when said locking screws are tightened.

Number Name Date 1,926,828 Van Berkel Sept. 12, 1933 2,343,575 Penney Mar. '7, 1944 

